You've got the love-(the xx remix) love this song!!! mello sex for your ears
You've got the love-Tome Novy
Little Secrets-passion pit (jack beats rmx)
Satur8-d.ramierez
Iwont kneel-groove armada (bloody beatroots rmx) not full 320 bit
That's it for now
got some mixes coming soon. :)
dre
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
CHIP TALK WITH OUTISTHROUGH
CHIP TALK
So y'all watched the premiere of Peak Season on MTV last night, right?
If so, I'm sure you had a great ol' time laughing and judging those fine people who signed release forms and let themselves be filmed for our entertainment.
Well, after I asked cast members Dre Morell and Lauren Horton a few questions about the show last week, I had to get their opinions on a few things really important to me and readers of this blog: music, fashion, and (most importantly) potato chips. Here are some of their faves.
Favourite music artists of the moment:
Lauren: I’m really listening to Hyper Crush, they’re from California and they’re not really popular. They’re awesome. It’s just music that makes you happy and makes you want to dance and party.
Dre: All I listen to is pretty much house or electro. So David Guetta, his new album is all good. And it’s just making house music more acceptable in North America in the clubs and everything.
Favourite designer/stores:
Lauren: I’m not a big shopper. I know I’m a girl, isn’t that weird?
Dre: I’d say I do all my shopping online. 80s Purple is my favourite.
Lauren: I’m kind of getting into that too.
Dre: It’s hard in Whistler. It’s mostly just snowboard shops and that’s it.
Lauren: Yeah, novelty shops where you can get Whistler shirts, and the Olympics – it’s huge with the Olympics. I’m all about finding good deals. I have a hard time spending a lot of money on clothes that rip so, anywhere that’s cheap.
Favourite potato chips:
Lauren: Miss Vickie's Jalapeno.
Dre: Lay's Dill pickle.
Lauren: So good too!
Dre: That is the bee's knees of chips.
And because a transcript can't express the joy any of us felt talking about potato chips, I give you the gift of audio:
Fuck, I love some good chip talk.
I mean, we didn't even get into discussing favourite Doritos flavours, and that's where I really throw down.
And thank goodness they both gave quality answers to that question. If they had said something ridiculous and offensive like "I don't eat potato chips, I only eat saltless, flavourless rice crisps," that probably would've soured me on the whole show.
So in conclusion, as if I wasn't already sold by their charisma and good looks, their enthusiasm for chips definitely convinced me their show is worthy of some weekly viewing.
Thanks again Dre and Lauren
Q&A WITH OUTISTHROUGH.COM
Q&A: Peak Season's Lauren Horton and Dre Morel
For all you couch potatoes yearning to live vicariously through other people's exciting days, MTV Canada's new Whistler-based reality series Peak Season may just do the trick.
The show follows seven 20-somethings through their dramatic, party-filled lives. We're talking relationship drama, work drama, forgetting-your-girlfriend-at-a-bar drama.
It's slick and pretty Hills-esque in format -- though its stars insist it's a helluva lot more real than Heidi Montag's boobs.
I caught up with cast members Lauren Horton, 26, and Dre Morel, 22, after an advance screening of the show last week in Toronto, where they told me why Canada should be tuning in.
Can you tell me a little bit about how you got involved with Peak Season?
Lauren: There was an application on a Facebook page – of course Facebook, right? – and I filled out the application with some friends. . . I sent in some pictures, and then I didn’t hear anything for a while. And then I got a call from Andrea [Fehsenfeld], one of the creators and she said “Y’know I’d really love for you to come in for an audition.” So I went in for three filmed auditions and they asked me to join. I was like “Yes, I’m in, count me in.”
Dre: For me it was just right time, right place, right situation. I was breaking up with my girlfriend. At the time they were just about to film like a week before and I was out partying a bunch. And Lauren, they would always ask “What’s the gossip in the town?” and she mentioned my name and the drama --
Lauren: They saw his picture and they were like “Yes, we want him.”
Dre: The day I met them they were like “You need to figure this out tonight. 'Cause we’re filming tomorrow. I was like “Oh my gosh,” then I just said yes.
Lauren: See, I had a really long time to think about it. Like, that’s crazy. Overnight? That’s insane.
Dre: Yeah, mind-boggling.
The question I kept wondering when I was watching the show was what motivated you to think ‘filming my life and having people watch it – that would be fun’?
Lauren: To me, that’s what it was. It was “this could be a really cool experience,” do you know what I mean? Not that I always wanted to get into TV or anything like that, I was just like I might as well . . . If it doesn’t go anywhere then I’ll be like, “Y’know what I did one time in my life?” I can look back and reflect on it.
Dre: I’m a DJ as well, so I did it all for exposure. I just thought it was a great opportunity to get my name out there just for DJing and producing and all that. So I was just blessed with such a good opportunity, except there’s a lot of drama in there too.
Lauren: [laughs] It’s not just DJ-ing!
Now that you’ve seen at least the first few episodes, how are you feeling about it? Are you nervous about things that are going to come up in future episodes?
Dre: I want to see the next episode right now!
Lauren: Yeah, me too. If anything, I’m stoked, I want to see it right away. Like, I could’ve sat there and watched the whole entire season and not taken my eyes off.
Dre: There’s so much more coming! There’s so much more!
Lauren: Yeah, It’s going to get crazy. From what I can remember from how the show went for me, this is just the beginning.
What we’re seeing on TV, how accurate or how real would you say it is?
Dre: That’s it.
Lauren: What you see is what you get. There’s no words put in our mouths, there’s no story-writing there’s no nothing. They’d say “What’s your schedule?” We’d tell them what we’re doing through the week, they’d clear [the location for filming], and they’d just follow us.
Dre: A lot of people are getting a misconception about the show too. It’s not a reality show. It’s a documentary series.
Lauren: Yeah, like I’d call them and I’d say “Oh my god, something’s going down right now,” and they’d be there in a second. ‘Cause they were like “If anything’s going down let us know.” And there was never a scene where we planned it, it always actually happened.
What’s the difference then between a reality show and a docudrama, as MTV's been promoting Peak Season?
Lauren: It’s not like the Hills to me. [The Hills] seems really fake, it seems set up. It seems like they’re given lines. And this is totally not like that. It’s also really Canadian. You’ve got typical playing hockey --
Dre: snowboarding, skiing, sledding, a little bit of drinking . . .
Lauren: a teeny bit, a little bit of swearing.
What is it about Whistler that provides the right setting for a show of this nature?
Dre: The nightlife for sure. I’d say a good 65 per cent is all nightlife shots, maybe 70. And Whistler is just so beautiful, it attracts everyone.
Lauren: It’s the vibe.
How do you anticipate the show impacting your life moving forward?
Lauren: I haven’t really seen anything as of yet, but I’m pretty sure it’s going to help [Dre] big time, and I assume that it would do the same for me. Look at Lauren Conrad, she’s got a clothing line. And I’m not saying it’s going to be the same, but people see us and they’re going to be like “Oh, he’s on a really awesome show. We definitely want him as a guest appearance at our event.” So, they'll see my [promotions] company and they say “Wow, this chick on TV, we want her or her girls for an event.”
Dre: Just at the screening right now people came up to me and said do you have a MySpace or a blog, like where do you get your mixes? I just handed one out already, so I guess it’s already working.
Big thanks to Lauren and Dre for taking the time to talk to me!
Peak Season premieres with back-to-back episodes tonight at 10 p.m. on MTV, followed by the Peak Season After Show.
Q&A WITH DOSE.CA
Peak Season: Q&A with Lauren and Dre
With the success of The Hills and The City, it was only a matter of time before the MTV reality machine came to Canada to find some Northern drama – and, with Peak Season, the network has certainly found a drama goldmine. Set in the notorious party town of Whistler, B.C., Peak Season follows the personal and professional exploits of a group of young residents – and, unlike The Hills, it’s genuinely dramatic and doesn’t seem fake. Barely a day goes by without a fight breaking out in a bar or someone getting drunk and cheating on their significant other, and the cameras are there to catch all of it.
Peak Season stars Lauren Horton and Dre Morel were in Toronto last week to promote the reality show; here, they talk about the unpredictable Whistler life and why they agreed to reveal their personal lives to millions of viewers.
After watching the first few episodes, I have to ask: why would you want cameras following you around?
Dre: I know, right?
Lauren: We’re crazy!
I’m not sure how to put this delicately, but: it seems like you’re drinking alcohol in almost every scene.
Lauren: Oh, god! When they filmed this, I was going through a really rough period in my life and I was drinking a lot to kind of drink away my sorrows. There was a lot of time where I felt like I didn’t know what to do, so drinking was the obvious answer.
Dre: I signed up for the show to get exposure for my DJing, but… obviously, they got more than that. They got my relationship and everything.
Do you worry about how people will view you now? Most viewers of The Hills think the people on it are jerks, and this show is being pitched as The Hills in Whistler.
Lauren: Oh, it’s not. It’s definitely not The Hills at all. It’s a big misconception that people have. Within the first episode, people are going to go, “This is not The Hills.” It definitely deals with relationships; that’s a similarity, but no.
Stuff actually happens on your show.
Lauren: Exactly.
Dre: The thing is, too, we’re not just sitting on a couch and talking – we’re out, playing hockey or going sledding. There’s so much stuff to do in Whistler, and they show that.
Lauren: And we’re trying to do things with our lives. Dre’s trying to be a DJ and I’m working on my promotions company, so it’s not just going out and partying all the time.
Dre, are you afraid that you’ll be known as the Spencer Pratt of the DJ world?
Dre: Any publicity is good publicity.
…So you will be Spencer Pratt, then.
Dre: No! No!
Lauren: He’s the furthest thing from Spencer Pratt, seriously. I mean, The Hills – I’m not going to lie; I watch it – but it’s boring compared to us.
What was it like to watch the show now?
Lauren: Strange.
Dre: I think it’s so funny.
Lauren: It’s really fun. You’re just laughing at it. I’ve seen the first few episodes now; we couldn’t stop laughing.
Is this really what your personal lives are like? You go out and get into fights at bars?
Lauren: Yeah.
That sounds exhausting.
Lauren: It can be.
Dre: Sometimes, yeah.
Is there any pressure to play that up for the cameras?
Lauren: No. That stuff was going on when the cameras weren’t there.
Dre: Yeah.
Lauren, in the first episode, you get into a fight with a girl who had been saying mean things about you, but we never find out what she was saying.
Lauren: She was just speaking about personal issues – it was really personal and I didn’t even want the show to get involved in it. A lot of it had to do with my relationship because a lot of things happened before the show, but they didn’t focus on it because I asked them not to. She was just saying some really harsh things about me, spreading rumours about me and I had just had enough.
Dre: She was stirring sh*t.
Lauren: Yeah, just being dramatic. I leave something alone for a long period of time, but then it gets to be too much and I just go and yell. And I did that.
Does that happen in every episode?
Lauren: I hope not! Watching the episodes now is so strange, because I’m like, “How does it look like I’m mad in every single scene that I’m in?” You’ll see, though, my life develops and I change.
And Dre, you were trying to move out of your apartment before your girlfriend got back from her trip? That’s a low move.
Dre: I ran out of time! I think she came home early, to be honest.
Well, the cameras were already in the hall; that scene rang a little false, to be honest.
Dre: Well… I signed up for the show and they asked if they could film that and I said, “Yeah, for sure.” But the conversation wasn’t faked. It’s as real as it gets. It was crazy.
Lauren: I saw the awkwardness when she walked in.
Dre: It was pretty emotional.
People always talk about how fake The Hills is. Are there elements of Peak Season where you have to do retakes?
Dre: No, this is a documentary series. We give them our schedule and they meet us wherever we are and they film us. That’s it.
How long did it take you to get used to the cameras?
Dre: About a day.
Lauren: It was really quick. It’s bizarre, because it gets really intense, really quickly and then you get used to it.
Lauren, how was it watching the show with your grandma and the rest of your family?
Lauren: Oh, god, I’m not looking forward to the comments when I get home. My nan is older – she knows me and she knows exactly who I am, but I still get that little twinge. But the rest of my family won’t say a thing because I’ve been confident my whole life, so they’re used to me being vocal and sticking up for myself.
Dre, you were born and raised in Whistler, but Lauren, you grew up in Ajax, Ont. Why did you move out there?
Lauren: I went out to visit friends. I have friends who live there in the winter season and they go to ski, and my best friend and I went out to visit them, and she came home and I stayed.
How long have you been out there?
Lauren: Three years. I fly back in the summer, but I’m parked there.
What’s your least favourite moment from the first few episodes?
Lauren: Oh, mine is when I’m sledding with my friends and one of them takes a swig of vodka and spits it out into my mouth. That was definitely not my highest point of the show.
Were you not aware that they were filming?
Lauren: I did, but I didn’t know if they were going to put that in!
Of course they were!
Lauren: Yeah, well, I know that now.
Dre: My least favourite moment is in the first episode where I call [now-ex-girlfriend] Amanda “The One.” It’s a knuckle-biter.
What’s it like to relive all the breakups and arguments with boyfriends and girlfriends?
Dre: I don’t know. It’s going to test us, for sure. A lot has happened since we stopped filming the show, for sure; Amanda and I became friends and now we’re going to watch the show and…
And you guys will see what people were saying about you when you weren’t around.
Lauren: Yeah, that’s the one thing – we don’t know what each other filmed. It will be interesting to see. Me and [ex-boyfriend] Scoot, I don’t know what he said.
Dre: I didn’t say anything about you. I swear.
Lauren: I didn’t say anything about you, either! Nothing!
Peak Season has an extensive cast; were you all friends before the show or did your paths cross more because of filming?
Dre: That’s what Whistler is, though. Everyone knows each other and everyone runs into each other.
Lauren: Yeah, you have a group of friends here, a group of friends here and a group of friends here, and everyone’s connected somehow.
And you can’t hug somebody without somebody getting mad, apparently.
Lauren: That’s just what happens.
Dre: That’s how rumours start.
Lauren: Yeah. People take things the wrong way. They see a hug and they whisper about it and it gets blown out of proportion, and the next thing you know, people are sleeping together or they’re dating. I don’t know.
Dre: It’s brutal.
Again, that sounds so exhausting. It’s like high school, except you’re grownups.
Dre: Oh, thank you.
Lauren: I don’t think I’m grown up! But yeah, I guess it can be exhausting. I get stressed out about it sometimes.
Dre: It is like high school, though.
Lauren: It’s grown-up high school, definitely. Everyone knows each other and everyone talks about what you’re doing. But I think people can relate to it. It’s not just high school; adults do the same thing. People just talk. Everyone talks about one another, I find. Maybe it’s not in a negative way, necessarily, but it’s like, “Oh, by the way, did you know this?” Or “Did you hear about this?”
Dre: Whistler’s always been like that, though. Always. No matter what you do.
Are you nervous about being the spotlight and having people criticize you and your personal life?
Dre: Not at all. I’m ready for it.
Lauren: I’m prepared.
Dre: I signed up for it. We both did.
ANDPOP Interview
andPOP
18 October 2009
Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and drama galore nestled in the slopes of Whistler, British Columbia. Sound intriguing? MTV’s latest documentary series Peak Season, surrounded by much buildup, debuts Monday night (Oct. 19). So what’s all the hype about? First, it’s a bold new approach to Canadian-focused television. It’s also unscripted, raw, and features personal stories that hit closer to home. MTV Canada has ordered 10 episodes of this fresh series which follows the lives of a tight-knot group of people in Whistler, British Columbia. Peak Season offers an up-close look into their personal struggles and achievements, ranging from a tearful break-up in the first episode, to the distinct possibility that you will always run into that certain someone you were avoiding at the bar. This tight-knit group consists of Dre Morel, Lauren Horton, Amanda Scheller, Ian Ross, Matthew James, Stephanie Just and Elle Hetherington. Each 20-something-year-old has their own story to tell, and all is revealed in the long days, and even longer nights, in the town of Whistler. Stephanie Just and Dre Morel are ambitious Whistler locals, while others such as Scheller (Morel’s ex-girlfriend) moved to Whistler when she started dating him. Whistler transplants aren’t rare in the resort town: Horton moved to Whistler from Ontario, while Matthew James and his girlfriend, Elle Hetherington, hail from Australia. Peak Season also stars Ian Ross, the wise-cracking bachelor who takes partying to another level with his crew, whose meaningful conversation about comparing city girls to “expired milk” is just one example of their entertaining behaviour. Laid-back Morel attributes his presence on the show to fate. “It was the perfect time and perfect place, and just the right situation,” says Morel, who was in Toronto for the show’s premiere. In Horton’s case, the process took a bit longer. “I filled out an application form and went through the process of doing three filmed auditions over the span of 2007,” explains Horton, in Toronto last week for the show’s premiere and launch party. “They called me when I got back for the New Year and were like, ‘yeah, we want you to be part of the show.’” The cast brings the perfect mix of business, pleasure, friendships and relationships to the set. And unlike reality shows like The Hills and The City, Peak Season has an air of refreshingly authentic situations and people. “The thing that this show really brings to the table is that it’s not a reality television show; it’s a documentary series. We would just give the crew our schedule, and they would just show up and follow us,” explains Morel, whose genuinely nice and approachable personality will make him a favorite on the show. “It’s not scripted, not at all. It’s just our everyday life.” “I think a lot of people think of reality shows along the terms of scripts, and with cast members being told to ‘say this’ or that.” Horton, a wise-cracking brunette firecracker, elaborates. “With Peak Season, what you see is what is actually going on with our lives.” And what you see is a lot. From a tough relationship discussion for Dre in the first scene, to vodka-spewing antics on the slopes, Peak Season holds nothing back from the audience. Another nice touch is that there is genuinely good snowboarding promoted on the show. With the premiere on Monday, and the first episode available online, this show is sure to gain a dedicated fan base from the get-go. Peak Season encompasses a variety of situations, from an inner look into the nightlife, the hilarious conquests of Ross’s crew, international visitors, Morel’s impressive DJ skills, Horton’s burgeoning promotion company to the aspirations of a female boarder (Just) to make it pro. “We’ve basically said, here’s our lives and our souls, do what ever you want with it,” laughs Horton. The beauty of Peak Season is also in its location. Whistler, a long-touted tourist spot in Canada, sports pristine mountains, log cabins, and breathtaking scenery. “Growing up, though I have nothing to compare it to, I’m pretty sure I was spoiled with that environment,” says Morel. “From the mountains in the summer, the lakes, there’s endless things to do. It’s unfortunate that people only see the winter season, because all of it is amazing.” “I’ve sat on the beach with my bikini and seen people snowboarding and skiing on the mountain,” adds Horton. With such an enclosed environment, relationships are bound to get complicated. Fans can expect a trail of sticky messes concerning the cast members, which ultimately result in everybody’s favorite addiction: drama. Punches are thrown, curses are uttered, hearts are broken, and yes, girlfriends are forgotten at the bar. “It’s non-stop,” says Horton, who’s feisty side makes an appearance in the first episodes. “From what I’ve seen, they’re using everything. There’s never a dull moment. Personally, I’ve always stuck up for myself, and I’ve always been aggressive, but people can expect to see another side of me as well.” “Honestly, it gets better and better and better,” affirms Morel, whose relationship with Scheller is largely focused on in the first episode. “I will say that there is a crazy roller coaster ride with my relationship in this season.” What will truly draw people to the show is the raw element of its production. There is an air of spontaneity that keeps the audience engrossed and guessing, while feeling a real connection to the cast in Whistler. People will root for the ever-unpredictable Horton’s promotion company, appreciate Morel’s love and passion for music (he hopes to begin producing, and recently did sets in Toronto last month), watch the ups-and-downs of relationships on the slopes and become attached to so much more within the bubble of Whistler. “It’s going to get crazy, believe me, just stay tuned,” promises Morel.
18 October 2009
Beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and drama galore nestled in the slopes of Whistler, British Columbia. Sound intriguing? MTV’s latest documentary series Peak Season, surrounded by much buildup, debuts Monday night (Oct. 19). So what’s all the hype about? First, it’s a bold new approach to Canadian-focused television. It’s also unscripted, raw, and features personal stories that hit closer to home. MTV Canada has ordered 10 episodes of this fresh series which follows the lives of a tight-knot group of people in Whistler, British Columbia. Peak Season offers an up-close look into their personal struggles and achievements, ranging from a tearful break-up in the first episode, to the distinct possibility that you will always run into that certain someone you were avoiding at the bar. This tight-knit group consists of Dre Morel, Lauren Horton, Amanda Scheller, Ian Ross, Matthew James, Stephanie Just and Elle Hetherington. Each 20-something-year-old has their own story to tell, and all is revealed in the long days, and even longer nights, in the town of Whistler. Stephanie Just and Dre Morel are ambitious Whistler locals, while others such as Scheller (Morel’s ex-girlfriend) moved to Whistler when she started dating him. Whistler transplants aren’t rare in the resort town: Horton moved to Whistler from Ontario, while Matthew James and his girlfriend, Elle Hetherington, hail from Australia. Peak Season also stars Ian Ross, the wise-cracking bachelor who takes partying to another level with his crew, whose meaningful conversation about comparing city girls to “expired milk” is just one example of their entertaining behaviour. Laid-back Morel attributes his presence on the show to fate. “It was the perfect time and perfect place, and just the right situation,” says Morel, who was in Toronto for the show’s premiere. In Horton’s case, the process took a bit longer. “I filled out an application form and went through the process of doing three filmed auditions over the span of 2007,” explains Horton, in Toronto last week for the show’s premiere and launch party. “They called me when I got back for the New Year and were like, ‘yeah, we want you to be part of the show.’” The cast brings the perfect mix of business, pleasure, friendships and relationships to the set. And unlike reality shows like The Hills and The City, Peak Season has an air of refreshingly authentic situations and people. “The thing that this show really brings to the table is that it’s not a reality television show; it’s a documentary series. We would just give the crew our schedule, and they would just show up and follow us,” explains Morel, whose genuinely nice and approachable personality will make him a favorite on the show. “It’s not scripted, not at all. It’s just our everyday life.” “I think a lot of people think of reality shows along the terms of scripts, and with cast members being told to ‘say this’ or that.” Horton, a wise-cracking brunette firecracker, elaborates. “With Peak Season, what you see is what is actually going on with our lives.” And what you see is a lot. From a tough relationship discussion for Dre in the first scene, to vodka-spewing antics on the slopes, Peak Season holds nothing back from the audience. Another nice touch is that there is genuinely good snowboarding promoted on the show. With the premiere on Monday, and the first episode available online, this show is sure to gain a dedicated fan base from the get-go. Peak Season encompasses a variety of situations, from an inner look into the nightlife, the hilarious conquests of Ross’s crew, international visitors, Morel’s impressive DJ skills, Horton’s burgeoning promotion company to the aspirations of a female boarder (Just) to make it pro. “We’ve basically said, here’s our lives and our souls, do what ever you want with it,” laughs Horton. The beauty of Peak Season is also in its location. Whistler, a long-touted tourist spot in Canada, sports pristine mountains, log cabins, and breathtaking scenery. “Growing up, though I have nothing to compare it to, I’m pretty sure I was spoiled with that environment,” says Morel. “From the mountains in the summer, the lakes, there’s endless things to do. It’s unfortunate that people only see the winter season, because all of it is amazing.” “I’ve sat on the beach with my bikini and seen people snowboarding and skiing on the mountain,” adds Horton. With such an enclosed environment, relationships are bound to get complicated. Fans can expect a trail of sticky messes concerning the cast members, which ultimately result in everybody’s favorite addiction: drama. Punches are thrown, curses are uttered, hearts are broken, and yes, girlfriends are forgotten at the bar. “It’s non-stop,” says Horton, who’s feisty side makes an appearance in the first episodes. “From what I’ve seen, they’re using everything. There’s never a dull moment. Personally, I’ve always stuck up for myself, and I’ve always been aggressive, but people can expect to see another side of me as well.” “Honestly, it gets better and better and better,” affirms Morel, whose relationship with Scheller is largely focused on in the first episode. “I will say that there is a crazy roller coaster ride with my relationship in this season.” What will truly draw people to the show is the raw element of its production. There is an air of spontaneity that keeps the audience engrossed and guessing, while feeling a real connection to the cast in Whistler. People will root for the ever-unpredictable Horton’s promotion company, appreciate Morel’s love and passion for music (he hopes to begin producing, and recently did sets in Toronto last month), watch the ups-and-downs of relationships on the slopes and become attached to so much more within the bubble of Whistler. “It’s going to get crazy, believe me, just stay tuned,” promises Morel.
National Post Interview
Here is an interview Lauren and i did for the National Post
http://www.nationalpost.com/arts/story.html?id=2118524Peak Season, its gallant young Canadian cast members want to make clear, is not a Whistler-based version of The Hills. Of course, there are still breakups, makeups and tequila-fuelled hook-ups well past when it's time to go home from the bars, but there's at least one big difference between the American sensation and the new Canadian reality TV program that begins tonight on MTV: The scrappy Canadian crew is more real.
"We're not rich California kids that drive around in a Mercedes and were born with a silver spoon up our ass," says Lauren Horton, a 26-year-old Ajax, Ont.-native who has a nose ring, wears a black leather jacket and routinely displays her problem with authority on the show. "I watch The Hills and it's so fake. Those girls haven't struggled at all."
"Yeah," says Andreas "Dre" Morel, a 22-year-old DJ from Whistler, B.C. "Not this season, anyway."
There's plenty of suffering and tomfoolery on MTV's new program, which will get the full after-show treatment from Dan Levy and Jessi Cruickshank following every episode for the next 10 Monday nights. On a recent visit to Toronto, Morel and Horton found themselves experiencing the first glimmer of fame.
"Dre was on the phone and didn't notice, but we were coming out of a store and there was this big group of girls like, 'Oh my God! They're from Peak Season!' " Horton says.
"Were they hot?" asks Morel, who spins every Tuesday and Friday at the Savage Beagle, a Whistler hotspot that routinely makes cameos on the show.
"Dude, they were 14 years old!" Morton says, play-scolding. "The point is, we were recognized and the show hasn't even aired yet. It's all going to be so bizarre."
The seven cast members, all in their twenties and white, work in bars and hit the slopes, and the show's prying cameras aren't shy about examining their roller-coaster love lives. Horton and Morel both say they got used to the production (and are adamant that producers never put words in their mouths), but admit their friends and lovers had a hard time adjusting to life under a boom mic.
"When I went out to the clubs, people saw the cameras and would cause drama just to get on TV," says Morel, whose first scene on the program involves the packing of white sunglasses and black cargo pants from the home he and his ex-girlfriend Amanda once shared. "Amanda and I were breaking up, I was going out, partying hard, and that's when we started filming. I tried to be who I am."
By having the cameras follow Horton and Morel for three months, it definitely elevated the amount of attention the outgoing youngsters already receive. With that attention, of course, comes jealousy.
"I see hater comments on the Internet, but I welcome the haters just like I welcome the lovers because they're the ones that are watching," Horton says. "If you're really not interested, why would you have so much to say?"
The key for any participant on a reality-TV program is to leverage the new-found stardom into a post-television career and both Horton and Morel are hatching their plans. While Morel hopes to continue with his burgeoning career as a DJ, Horton is hard at work setting up a promotional company called Black Out Productions, which will, among other things, provide Coors Light girls to Whistler's bars. She says she was pleased with her Peak Season experience. Even if it forced her to let down her guard.
"The producers would say, 'You're the only girl who hasn't cried on the show,' and I told them, 'I'm not a crier,' but eventually I showed my vulnerable side," Horton says. "They broke me, dammit -- and I'm the tough chick!" - Peak Season premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on MTV Canada.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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